Identifying, Collecting and Communicating Common School Policy and Environment Indicators Related to Health and Health Behaviors

Purpose of the committee:There is a growing understanding of the role that policy and environment play in both promoting andpreventing childhood obesity and other health conditions and behaviors.

Many state and local agencies across Colorado are focusing efforts on changing school policies andenvironments to support students and staff in being active, eating well, avoiding substance use, andmaintaining a positive sense of self. State-level programs have collected polices from schools across the state at various times in order to understand the scope and implementation of these policies. It has become clear to many state agencies that coordination of this work at the state level will minimize the burden on schools to respond to request for their policies and will maximize opportunities to build a state-level picture of trends in school policies and environments using consistent measures.

The purpose of the School Policy Indicators work group is to: (1) identify a limited set of indicators ofpositive school policy and environment around physical activity, nutrition, substance use, and mental health; (2) coordinate data collection in these areas using the same measures; and (3) communicate findings to stakeholders such as local and state policy makers, school associations, school districts, parents, and students. Participating stakeholders, as well as others whose work involves school settings, will agree to coordinate and collect data on the common identified indicators through the programs or services available to them. The result will be an ever-clearer picture of school policies and environments in Colorado as they relate to these health behaviors. Over time, the data can be used to monitor changes in school climates that support students and staff in adopting and maintaining healthy behaviors and hopefully will bereflected in the bi-annual “Healthy Kids Colorado” student survey.